# 3183e - 1998 32c Celebrate the Century - 1910s: Telephone Line

US #3183e
1998 Telephone Spans the Nation – Celebrate the Century (1910s)

• Part of the second sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the first transcontinental telephone line in the US
• Includes text on the back with historical details

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 3, 1998
First Day City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.6
Tagging: Block Tagging

Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the United States’ first transcontinental telephone line and the huge impact it had on history.

About the stamp design: Pictures an oil painting of two men placing an American flag atop a telephone pole by artist Dennis Lyall. Includes the following text on the back “The first transcontinental telephone line was completed in 1914. On January 25, 1915, the first call was made by Alexander Graham Bell in New York to Thomas A. Watson in San Francisco.”

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Washington, DC, with legendary radio and television host Larry King as master of ceremonies.

About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.

History the stamp represents: The word telephone comes from two Greek words meaning far and sound. In the mid-1800s, many inventors were working to develop a practical telephone, but Alexander Graham Bell was the first to design, patent, and use such a device for sending human speech along wires using an electric current.

An educator and inventor, Bell taught speech to the deaf and pursued studies and experiments in the transmission of sound. He was working on ways to improve the telegraph when he developed his idea for the telephone. In 1876, Bell was working with his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, to set up his newly patented telephone when they succeeded in transmitting spoken words for the first time.

The Bell Telephone Company was established in 1877. By 1890, the Bell telephone had spread to most major cities in the United States. A year later, the first commercial long distance line extended 45 miles. Phone service between New York City and Chicago began in 1892.

With phone lines extended across the continent and the help of new inventions – switchboards and amplifiers, telephone service between New York City and San Francisco began in 1915. The first phone call spanning the nation was made by Alexander Graham Bell to Thomas Watson.